Salute (1929) Review: An Old-School Army-Navy Showdown

Alright, so if you’re thinking about diving into Salute today, you really gotta know what you’re getting into. This is a 1929 film, which means it’s for a very specific crowd. If you love digging into film history, seeing how movies sounded when they first started talking, or just have a soft spot for really old sports dramas, then yeah, this is probably worth a watch. You’ll probably hate it if you need fast pacing, crisp sound, or anything remotely resembling modern acting styles. It’s a time capsule, not a blockbuster. 🕰️

The core story revolves around two brothers, both officers, one for Army and one for Navy. George O'Brien plays the older, more serious brother, and Frank Albertson is the younger, a bit more rambunctious one. Their rivalry really drives the whole thing, especially when it comes to the big football game. You can feel the tension building between them even when they’re not on the field.

Speaking of the game, the football scenes are… a spectacle of their own. You see these wide shots of players in their old-school leather helmets, charging into a pile. It’s less about slick plays and more about sheer, chaotic energy. The camera just sort of *watches* them, rather than following the action super closely. There's a moment when the ball gets fumbled, and everyone just kind of dog-piles, and it’s genuinely hard to tell who has it. It’s pretty endearing, honestly.

Helen Chandler is the love interest caught between them, and she does a decent job navigating the brotherly drama. Her expressions are often quite subtle, which is interesting for the period. Sometimes her lines feel a bit stiff, but that's just how many of these early talkies felt. It was a learning curve for everyone, I guess.

What really stuck with me, though, was the way the film captures the almost ritualistic pride of the military academies. There are these long shots of formations marching, and you can almost smell the crisp uniforms. The whole thing feels very earnest. You can tell they *really* wanted to show off that sense of duty and tradition. 🫡

And yes, for the eagle-eyed viewers, Salute is one of those early flicks where you can spot a very young, uncredited John Wayne. He’s just a football player, one face in the crowd during the game scenes. If you blink, you'll miss him. It's a fun little game of 'spot the legend' for sure. Ward Bond is in there too, also as a player. It's a who's who of future Hollywood faces.

The sound quality, as expected for 1929, is variable. Sometimes the dialogue is crystal clear, and other times it sounds like it’s coming through a tin can. You get used to it, mostly. There are these strange moments where the background noise suddenly drops out, and then comes back in, which always makes me chuckle. It’s a reminder of how primitive things were.

One particular scene sticks out: the brothers are having a really tense conversation in a locker room, and the camera just holds on them. No fancy cuts, no quick edits. It just lets the scene play out, letting the actors do their thing. It goes on a good minute longer than a modern film would, and it creates this almost uncomfortable intimacy. You really get a sense of their strained relationship in that moment.

Also, there's a character played by Stepin Fetchit. His presence is definitely a product of its time. He has a few scenes that are meant for comic relief. It’s something to be aware of when you watch, a stark reminder of the era's sensibilities. It's part of the historical texture, for better or worse.

Overall, Salute is a charming piece of early cinema. It’s not going to blow you away with its storytelling or technical prowess, but it’s got a genuine heart. It captures a simpler time, when a football game between two military academies was a really big deal, steeped in honor and tradition. It’s a slow burn, definitely, but it has its moments. A nice little peek into the past. 🎞️

Didja notice?

• The uniforms look so stiff, like they could stand up on their own!
• Lots of shouting in the football scenes, but not always clear what they're shouting *about*.
• The football itself looks strangely lumpy sometimes.
• There’s a scene where a character delivers a line, and you can practically hear the microphone picking up the room echo.
• The sheer number of extras in those stadium shots is impressive for the time.